A Killing in Antiques by Mary Moody is the first book in the new “Lucy St. Elmo Antiques” mystery series. Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime (Penguin), July 2011
Treasure hunting is not for the faint of heart. Luckily, Lucy St. Elmo, owner of Cape Cod’s St. Elmo Fine Antiques, has more than enough heart. Her tracking skills are what she needs to improve—or else the wrong man could be convicted of a one-of-a-kind murder.
It’s time for Brimfield, the largest outdoor antiques and collectibles show in all of New England. This is one event Lucy wouldn’t miss for the world. Armed with determination, a keen eye, and her trusty supercart, Lucy is ready to make a killing. But she never expected there would be a killing at Brimfield! Or that the victim would be her longtime friend, well-known antiques picker Monty Rondo—strangled with a strip of lace.
While Brimfield is still buzzing with the news, Monty’s partner, Silent Billy, is arrested for the crime. Lucy’s certain that Billy is innocent. So while combing the market for treasures, she starts collecting clues to clear her friend’s name. But she’ll have to work fast to restore his reputation before a killer comes calling her name.
When a fellow antique dealer is found dead, the police arrest his partner who Lucy feels is innocent of this crime. Because of a promise to not be involved, Lucy becomes involved. This was an okay read that started out slow, but picked up towards the end.
*new-to-me author
FTC Full Disclosure – The publisher sent me a copy of this book